SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Russ Marr netted 31 points, the last one a driving layup with 22.3 seconds remaining, and
Luka Avaliani added 22 points, helping Sewanee overcome an eight-point second-half deficit in an 86-83 win over rival Rhodes College in men's basketball action here Friday night at Juhan Gymnasium.
The Tigers (11-5, 3-0 SAA) trailed most of the game, as Rhodes (9-7, 2-1) posted 21 second-chance points with the help of 22 offensive rebounds, and the Lynx had answers at almost every turn. Phil Dotson made 3-of-4 3-point attempts in the second half and Shawn Jones, Jr., recorded 11 of his 24 points in the period.
Rhodes held a 45-43 edge at halftime and stretched its lead to seven points three times early in the second half, but
Tre Corrigan made a 3-pointer and Avaliani registered a layup before a Marr triple later in the period, making it a two-point game.
Jones, Jr., scored on a layup and Dotson nailed two straight 3-pointers, pushing the Lynx advantage to 65-57 with 12 minutes to play. Corrigan answered with another three and a dunk and two free throws by Marr cut the deficit to three.
Dotson drilled another triple for the Lynx and a basket underneath by Max Adelman gave the Lynx a 74-70 lead with 7:20 to play. Sewanee put together a 14-5 run over the next five minutes, starting with baskets by Marr and Avaliani, knotting the game at 74.
Adelman's 3-pointer put Rhodes back in front, but
Graham Smith and
Eli Holland each posted baskets and Marr converted two foul shots plus a backdoor layup before a leaner off the glass by Avaliani extended the Sewanee advantage to 84-79 with two minutes left, forcing a timeout by the visitors.
The Tigers got sloppy for just a few seconds, with Jones, Jr., scoring underneath and Trevor Lombard stealing the inbounds pass, which led to a dunk by Jones, Jr., making it a one-point game with 90 seconds to play.
Corrigan's heave at the end of the shot clock missed but a shot by Jones, Jr., was blocked out of bounds. Rhodes called timeout with 51.1 seconds to play but was unable to inbound the ball, turning the ball over on a five-second call.
Sewanee used a timeout with 33.1 ticks remaining and Marr drove down the middle of the lane, laying the ball off the glass with 22.3 seconds on the clock, extending the lead to 86-83. The Tigers had two fouls to give and did so with 9.7 and 8.3 seconds to play.
Sewanee guarded the 3-point line and Dotson drove to the basket, missing a runner in the final seconds, sealing the victory for the home team.
Marr and Avaliani netted 14 of the team's final 18 points of the game. Corrigan made four 3-pointers for 12 points while Smith grabbed a team-best 11 rebounds.
Adelman and Dotson each posted 14 points and Jones, Jr., added eight boards to go with his 24 points.
Sewanee got off to a slow start from the field, missing five of its first six shots, while Jones, Jr., posted a pair of field goals for a quick 6-0 Rhodes lead. Marr's old-fashioned 3-point play started a stretch of 5-for-6 field goals made for the Tigers, but Kaleb Green netted two baskets for the Lynx, pushing their lead to 12-5.
Reid Carrier made the first of four 3-pointers in the half for Sewanee, but Adelman answered with a three for the Tigers. Corrigan netted a triple and Marr collected another 3-point play, cutting the deficit to three. Smith's two free throws pulled Sewanee within a point just under eight minutes into the game.
The Rhodes advantage stayed between two and four for almost five minutes before a 3-point play by Avaliani at the seven-minute mark gave Sewanee its first lead of the contest. Corrigan added another triple for a 31-27 edge before Jackson Huxtable collected a 3-pointer for the Lynx and Dotson was fouled on a triple and made all three free throws.
Jones, Jr., posted two foul shots and a layup, increasing the Rhodes lead to four before a
Fletcher Bigham triple for the Tigers. Baskets by Cass Ramberg and Jones, Jr., made it a five-point game, but Sewanee came right back with two free throws and a layup from Marr.
Murray Norman's old-fashioned 3-point play made it a four-point game again and Avaliani's driving layup in the last five seconds pulled the Tigers within, 45-43, at the break.
Avaliani netted 14 points and Marr posted 12 for Sewanee while Jones, Jr., led the Lynx with 13 points and Green collected 10. Rhodes also grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, turning those into 13 second-chance points.
Sewanee hosts Hendrix College on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Tigers also play at home Sunday, January 26 against Millsaps College and Wednesday, Jan. 29 versus Centre College.
